Help me convert my parents

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My parents are Baptist. My dad, especially, has been taught that the Catholic Church is literally the ‘Great Whore of Babylon’ . This belief is the culmination of the many misunderstandings about the Catholic Church, including (but not limited to :mad:) :

*The Catholic Church persecuted and killed Christians
*The Catholic Church blocked Christians from reading the Bible
*The Catholic Church is a cult of pagan idolatry
*The Catholic Church itself authorized buying indulgences

Not to mention that the Catholic Church did the exact opposite of these things. In a way, I feel like I’ve cursed my parents, because they might be under vincible ignorance. I’ve tried showing my parents (dad especially) the proof of Catholicism’s truth. A few months ago, I was the mad, angsty teen who wanted to convert his parents to Catholicism because he liked it. I’m just not mad anymore. I fear for my parents’ destiny. I’ve found out through not-too-deep contemplation where this ignorance stems from, interestingly enough. My dad is a Baptist pastor. For a long time, he has wanted a church all of his own. He has created a mental block against Catholicism, because he can’t become a priest (although he might fall under exception). My mom’s case brings out the thing I hate most about Protestantism. It’s like they encourage women (more specifically wives) to not think on their own in spiritual matters. She just follows my dad in the realm of anything pertaining to Christianity. My mother takes Matthew 18:3 as an excuse to be ignorant in this.

It pains me, though. My dad’s passion in life is irrelevant, in a way. He just takes his prideful will sometimes over the truth. I brought Matthew 18:3 up to him, and he said with context included “Well, the gates of Hell did prevail”.

I just need this thread to be an archive of information to show my parents if they ever open their minds enough to even listen. Links, text, citation, and all.
 
There is only one possible way your parents will ever become Catholic.

You must love your parents with words and deeds. Never a word of strife or conflict. No argument ever. You must sacrifice yourself for them as Christ did for his Church. Care for them in every way you can, even when you don’t want to and be an instrument of peace in their lives. If you do this then the price of peace will send his peace upon them and they will be converted.

You must be Jesus to them. That is the only way.

-Tim-
 
Nanotwerp said:
My parents are Baptist. My dad, especially, has been taught that the Catholic Church is literally the ‘Great Whore of Babylon’ . This belief is the culmination of the many misunderstandings about the Catholic Church, including (but not limited to :mad:) :

*The Catholic Church persecuted and killed Christians
*The Catholic Church blocked Christians from reading the Bible
*The Catholic Church is a cult of pagan idolatry
*The Catholic Church itself authorized buying indulgences

Not to mention that the Catholic Church did the exact opposite of these things. In a way, I feel like I’ve cursed my parents, because they might be under vincible ignorance. I’ve tried showing my parents (dad especially) the proof of Catholicism’s truth. A few months ago, I was the mad, angsty teen who wanted to convert his parents to Catholicism because he liked it. I’m just not mad anymore. I fear for my parents’ destiny. I’ve found out through not-too-deep contemplation where this ignorance stems from, interestingly enough. My dad is a Baptist pastor. For a long time, he has wanted a church all of his own. He has created a mental block against Catholicism, because he can’t become a priest (although he might fall under exception). My mom’s case brings out the thing I hate most about Protestantism. It’s like they encourage women (more specifically wives) to not think on their own in spiritual matters. She just follows my dad in the realm of anything pertaining to Christianity. My mother takes Matthew 18:3 as an excuse to be ignorant in this.

It pains me, though. My dad’s passion in life is irrelevant, in a way. He just takes his prideful will sometimes over the truth. I brought Matthew 18:3 up to him, and he said with context included “Well, the gates of Hell did prevail”.

I just need this thread to be an archive of information to show my parents if they ever open their minds enough to even listen. Links, text, citation, and all.
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Speaking as a non-catholic, You may be doing more harm than good.
Your attitude and good deeds will speak more loudly than you realise. If it is arguing and confrontation all the time, both parties will be defensive (and no one is listening to each other).

The irony here is that your father is probably trying to convert you too.😃
Just take a step back from the situation and pray.
 
Love is the key to every profession of faith and conversion. Love of God to send His Only Son and love of man for his fellow man. With love in our hearts, we clear the path for the Holy Spirit to fill our mouths with the right message but be prepared. As Jesus stated, prophets are not accepted in their home towns. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t make head way with your parents; keep evangelizing. Perhaps you will convert someone close to them who may influence them to convert to Catholicism one day! God Bless you and fill your heart with joy and peace.
 
You can’t convert them so stop trying. God can through the Zholy Spirit so be available to aid in that.

Don’t hide your faith from them, pray for them, share things about yourself with them, invite them to the occasional event/mass/service project, and let your life of grace be witness. Answer any questions they may have if they decide to ask.

Consider having a good book for them to read if they want maybe something like Born fundamentalist born again catholic.
 
As others have said, show them the fruits of your faith by honoring them as Christ honored his earthly mother and heavenly father.
 
28 years after I became Catholic, so did my mother. My wife and I prayed the Divine Mercy novena. There is always hope. Others have given good advice here.
 
Love, patience, prayer, prayer, prayer…

My mother died never being reconciled with the church (she gave up trying decades ago) but loved Mary and the Lord, Jesus Christ. My dad was too proud, having been born and raised Catholic but irreconcilably estranged from the church. Mom died suddenly. Dad, however, was visited by a mysterious priest, who turned him around a few months before his death. So it may not be you, but your love, patience and your prayers.
 
Pray for them, and as the PPs have said, show them by your actions that Catholicism has made a difference for you. It was said of the early Christians, “See how they love one another! When a new person comes to them, they welcome him as a brother!” St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel. Use words only when necessary.” You might also ask St. Monica and St. Augustine to pray for them. St. Augustine searched for answers until he was about 30 years old, finding them in Catholicism, thanks in part, no doubt, to the fervent prayers of his mother, St. Monica, a devoted Catholic. Augustine’s father was a pagan who also converted to Catholicism before his death.
 
As Saint Augustine said in one of his sermons:
My dear brothers and sons, fruit of the true faith and holy seed of heaven, all you who have been born again in Christ and whose life is from above, listen to me; or rather, listen to the Holy Spirit saying through me: Sing to the Lord a new song. Look, you tell me, I am singing. Yes indeed, you are singing; you are singing clearly, I can hear you. But make sure that your life does not contradict your words. Sing with your voices, your hearts, your lips and your lives: Sing to the Lord a new song.
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Now it is your unquestioned desire to sing of him whom you love, but you ask me how to sing his praises. You have heard the words: Sing to the Lord a new song, and you wish to know what praises to sing. The answer is: His praise is in the assembly of the saints; it is in the singers themselves. If you desire to praise him, then live what you express. Live good lives, and you yourselves will be his praise. - From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop (Sermo 34.1-3, 5-6; CCL 41, 424-426)
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vatican.va/spirit/documents/spirit_20010508_agostino-vescovo_en.html
 
you will never convert someone who doesn’t want to be converted and really you should just follow your own path and perhaps pray for them along the way. personally I never worry about the rest of my family I work on my own faith. people have free will to decide how to live their lives.
 
Nanotwerp said:
*The Catholic Church persecuted and killed Christians
*The Catholic Church blocked Christians from reading the Bible
*The Catholic Church is a cult of pagan idolatry
*The Catholic Church itself authorized buying indulgences
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It’s sad that people think this about the Church; however, this may be one area where the Holy Spirit needs to take over and you need to stop working so much. (I know - hard to do!)

The biggest thing is to pray.

As a former Baptist, it was the example that Catholic friends showed that first got me interested in learning more. Being a consistent Catholic is more important in the beginning than giving out books/websites.
 
Hi Nanotwerp,
In my opinion, just love your parents unconditionally no matter what. The best witness is to live your life in such a way that they will feel drawn to your faith. Have a servant’s heart and show them – thru your actions – what a Christian is all about.

Remember Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger

When they see that your decision to become a Catholic has made you a better person, they still might not agree with all of your beliefs but they will respect you by the fruit in your life which might open doors in the future to share your faith with them.

All the best to you.
 
I’m 14, and I found out about the Catholic Church by searching about Christianity’s history. First, as a former Protestant, I studied about the Reformation and the such. I found out Martin Luther, and disagreed with many of his methods and world views. I looked at an interesting chart showing the history of Christianity’s denominations, and where they stemmed from. At this time, I believed in Anglicanism, which my parents are okay with. My next step was to Eastern Orthodoxy, and my parents fussed at me, telling me to stay in their (Protestant) zone. The extensive use of Koine Greek, a beautiful language form, captivated me. I loved the impression I was getting from it, with the priests instead of pastors, and the more ancient feel. At this point, I felt that a tiny bit was missing. Something clicked, a memory of me being in a Catholic cathedral. I can’t very much describe it but it gave me a sense of immense love and nostalgia. Pretty strange, given that I’ve never been to one. I went on the Wikipedia article of Catholicism, and found out what Eastern Orthodoxy was missing; the Pope. This denomination that I’ve heard of many times shunned by pastors that I’ve avoided in my search for a better sect for so long. A complete Church. I then found out about ‘Catholic.org’, went on it, and found the prayer section. I’ve never, ever felt an urge to pray before this, and I felt bad about it. I literally hated going to church, as I just didn’t feel God in it at all (even though He is, but not as fully as in the Catholic Church). I thought I hated God for the longest. And here this Church was that fulfilled my heart. So, I prayed. I went upstairs to my parents to tell them about this glorious feeling I got. This conversation ended up becoming the first of many terrible arguments on the nature of Catholicism, which my parents so very much misunderstand.

I go on Catholic websites, sometimes when my parents aren’t that far behind me. I switch windows slyly before they can read or assume anything about it. It has happened before where I’ve searched up a priest, and my father was right behind me. This sparked another argument. Some people seem to misunderstand my intent in this. I hate arguing with them; it saddens me. What starts most of these now is that my father brings me up and shows me a negative video about misunderstood Catholicism, and he asks me about it and why I am so attracted to this ‘Great Whore of Babylon’. Lying is a sin, and the ends don’t justify the means in the end, so I must either withhold information, or tell the truth. I choose to just tell the truth. At this point, going to church literally depresses me. I get this overwhelming spirit of death. The people at the churches I go to just seem like ‘robots’ to me, for some reason. I hunger for the Eucharist, and feel like I’m spiritually dying. I don’t believe I can last another 4 years without it. The bread and grape juice I consume every 3 or so weeks doesn’t complete.
 
Default Help me convert my parents…
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Aside from the holy sacrifice of the Mass, there is only way that I know of that can convert your parents:

Pray the Rosary.

Say it in Latin if you can. Only by the intercession of the Blessed Mother can the conversion occur. You don’t have to convince them, or persuade them, or do anything else. Just pray the Rosary.

The story goes that Padre Pio would say as many as 30 or more rosaries per day. If you can manage 3 decades per day, you are doing well.
 
Honour thy mother and father.

There is really nothing more to evangelizing them than that. Do it for the Glory of God and the honour due your parents for bringing you into this world and raising you. Don’t proselytize. Discreetly, quietly and humbly live the Gospel through your own acts and through the love you show your parents.
 
Nanotwerp said:
This conversation ended up becoming the first of many terrible arguments on the nature of Catholicism, which my parents so very much misunderstand.
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This is extremely complicated, because you have so few options, and there are an incredible amount of things in play, given your age, which would be impossible to sort out in an internet forum.

You also have to keep in mind that, no matter how smart you are, no matter how much you’ve learned, and no matter how articulate you are, your parents changed your diapers when you were a baby, and they look at you now as being a young teenager just settling in to a rebellious stage of life. They’re not going to take you seriously from an academic perspective, and I would count my losses now, and save yourself some grief.

Instead, focus on your prayer life.

Pray that God will give you the grace to obey your parents, to love them more, and to appreciate what they’ve done for you and what they continue to do for you. Does that make you uncomfortable? Then therein is a root problem here.

Moreover, pray that God will give you the grace to fulfill your obligations, first and foremost as a son, and secondly as a student.

Pray that he will help you to not fall in to the various traps that are set for people of your age.

… and pray that that He will one day give you the grace to become Catholic.

Don’t worry so much about your parents and whether or not they’re right or wrong or indifferent or stupid or robotic or anything else. You have to understand that they’re afraid for your soul, and they probably think you’re going through some dumb phase.

Well, pray for the graces outlined above, and you will see that, several years hence, if you become Catholic while still loving them and while still being obedient to them as much as possible, you will be the greatest witness to the Church possible for them.

Don’t try to arm-wrestle people with intellectual facts.

There’s too much potential for pride to trip you up, make you bitter and frustrated, and to cause your parents far too much pain.

I also want to tell you bluntly, that no one has a right to undermine the authority of your parents over you, certainly not us. Don’t try to involve others as weapons, but submit to their authority, be respectful of them and of the others in your church, and continue to pray.

God has put it into your heart that the Catholic Church is true, and this is a massive step, and if He did that much, He will give you the graces to see it out. But you have to pray for those graces, and you have to cooperate with them as much as possible. Obedience is the first step. Get that wrong, and there’s no telling what you’ll throw away.
 
Nanotwerp said:
I’m 14, and I found out about the Catholic Church by searching about Christianity’s history. First, as a former Protestant, I studied about the Reformation and the such. I found out Martin Luther, and disagreed with many of his methods and world views. I looked at an interesting chart showing the history of Christianity’s denominations, and where they stemmed from. At this time, I believed in Anglicanism, which my parents are okay with. My next step was to Eastern Orthodoxy, and my parents fussed at me, telling me to stay in their (Protestant) zone. The extensive use of Koine Greek, a beautiful language form, captivated me. I loved the impression I was getting from it, with the priests instead of pastors, and the more ancient feel. At this point, I felt that a tiny bit was missing. Something clicked, a memory of me being in a Catholic cathedral. I can’t very much describe it but it gave me a sense of immense love and nostalgia. Pretty strange, given that I’ve never been to one. I went on the Wikipedia article of Catholicism, and found out what Eastern Orthodoxy was missing; the Pope. This denomination that I’ve heard of many times shunned by pastors that I’ve avoided in my search for a better sect for so long. A complete Church. I then found out about ‘Catholic.org’, went on it, and found the prayer section. I’ve never, ever felt an urge to pray before this, and I felt bad about it. I literally hated going to church, as I just didn’t feel God in it at all (even though He is, but not as fully as in the Catholic Church). I thought I hated God for the longest. And here this Church was that fulfilled my heart. So, I prayed. I went upstairs to my parents to tell them about this glorious feeling I got. This conversation ended up becoming the first of many terrible arguments on the nature of Catholicism, which my parents so very much misunderstand.

I go on Catholic websites, sometimes when my parents aren’t that far behind me. I switch windows slyly before they can read or assume anything about it. It has happened before where I’ve searched up a priest, and my father was right behind me. This sparked another argument. Some people seem to misunderstand my intent in this. I hate arguing with them; it saddens me. What starts most of these now is that my father brings me up and shows me a negative video about misunderstood Catholicism, and he asks me about it and why I am so attracted to this ‘Great Whore of Babylon’. Lying is a sin, and the ends don’t justify the means in the end, so I must either withhold information, or tell the truth. I choose to just tell the truth. At this point, going to church literally depresses me. I get this overwhelming spirit of death. The people at the churches I go to just seem like ‘robots’ to me, for some reason. I hunger for the Eucharist, and feel like I’m spiritually dying. I don’t believe I can last another 4 years without it. The bread and grape juice I consume every 3 or so weeks doesn’t complete.
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If not Catholic by Baptism, you are Catholic by intent. You feel God’s call from the Catholic Church yet you want to honor your mother and father at the risk of your own happiness. Be patient and loving. The Catholic Church is not going anywhere and we’ll be here with open arms to welcome you when it’s time. May God grant you peace and serenity in your heart and home.
 
TimothyH said:
There is only one possible way your parents will ever become Catholic.

You must love your parents with words and deeds. Never a word of strife or conflict. No argument ever. You must sacrifice yourself for them as Christ did for his Church. Care for them in every way you can, even when you don’t want to and be an instrument of peace in their lives. If you do this then the price of peace will send his peace upon them and they will be converted.

You must be Jesus to them. That is the only way.

-Tim-
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Also, remember that it is the Holy Spirit that converts others. You plant the seeds of love and understanding. Whenever possible point out the ways that you and they are in agreement. For instance: You both love Jesus. You both love the bible.

Above all do not argue. Your love for Jesus is the only road that they will follow. Study the Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and pray.
 
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